Earlier work has shown load sensing valves to be effective against jack-knifing. The work described in this report compares anti-locking brakes with load sensing valves in this respect. The trials lasted four years and involved some 400 articulated vehicles; half of these were fitted with anti-locking brakes on the drive axles, and the rest had load sensing valves. All the vehicles operated under similar conditions of normal commercial operation. These vehicles were involved in 478 road accidents which were analysed and assigned to various categories. Although the numbers of accidents are too small to be significant, the vehicles with anti-locking brakes had fewer jack-knifing accidents than those with load sensing valves. Earlier work has shown that vehicles with load sensing valves had significantly fewer jack-knifing accidents than those without any anti-jack-knifing equipment. The results did not show much difference, either in total number or type, between the accidents of the vehicles with anti-locking brakes and those of the load sensed vehicles. This is to be expected, because the equipment under trial would be likely to affect only those accidents involving jack-knifing and these are relatively few. (Author/publisher)
Abstract